KNX-Ops Product Reviews - BTech AMP-25 series

2025-08-14

The BTech AMP-U25 is a popular UHF amplifier, converting any frequency from 400-470 MHz from 5W to almost 50W! This range covers the 70CM portion of the amateur radio spectrum (420 - 450 in the US, 430 - 450 in Canada, and 430 - 440 in Europe), the General Mobile Radio service in the US (462 - 467), and various meterological and radiosonde bands.

The AMP-U25 works well on both the 70CM band and GMRS on my tests, not exceeding 1.3:1 on my SWR meter. It's advertised as outputting 20 - 40W but I found it outputted closer to 45W on 70CM and 40W on GMRS while connected to a 12V power supply.

Besides the U25, BTech also makes the U25D, V25, and V25D. Models with "D" in them support digital modes such as D-STAR, DMR, P-25, etc. The "V" models are designed for 136 - 174 MHz. It's worth noting that all models only support FM and digital modes in the case of the "D" models.

Pros:

• Can convert your handheld to a full-power base station or mobile without the cost of a purpose-built mobile or base radio
• Can run off a car's 12V cig lighter port due to lower wattage requirements compared to many mobile radios

Cons:

• Requires different amplifiers for VHF and UHF and requires special models for digital modes
• "Garbage in, Garbage out" applies here: If your radio emits spurrious emmissions, the amplifier will too